ASFDisease found in second pig farm

fleischwirtschaft.com — LATVIA, Riga. The Latvian Food and Veterinary Service received the results of the laboratory tests confirming that African swine fever (ASF) had been found also in Bunci farm in Salaspils region in central Latvia. About 10,000 pigs are kept in the farm and will have to be culled, writes LETA. This was reported by The Baltic Course.

Bunci belongs to Ancers company that operated also Rukas farm in the central Latvian region of Krimulda where ASF was found in mid-January and over 5,000 pigs had to be culled.

Raimonds Kalvans, CEO of Ancers company, said earlier that the losses due to the ASF outbreak in Rukas farm will add up to millions of euros. In addition to the investment in the business, special genetic material will also be lost, he said. The farm in Krimulda kept sows and raised piglets, while the farm in Salaspils keeps meat pigs.

The Latvian government on January 17 declared a state of emergency in the ASF-affected Krimulda region, as well as in the regions of Adazi and Salaspils which will last until April 17. The ASF outbreak started in Latvia in June 2014 not far from the border with Belarus.

African swine fever is an extremely dangerous and contagious virus infection affecting pigs. If an infected pig is found in a farm, all pigs in the particular farm have to be culled, which means big losses for farmers.